Chapter 7: Talent

The experience points for the Blood-Qi Pill had indeed increased by 1, and Chen Fei felt a slight sense of relief. His mind was now filled with a bit more insight into the refining of Blood-Qi Pills.

He finished the stir-fried pork liver on his plate in a few bites, having only put a few pieces into the pan to begin with. Since there were no rules on how much pork liver to use for the stir-fry, Chen Fei naturally chose to use as little as possible.

Based on the amount he had purchased earlier, Chen Fei could still stir-fry the liver dozens of times. However, dozens of times would not be enough to raise his Blood-Qi Pill proficiency to the "Proficient" level.

Chen Fei carefully sliced off a tiny piece of pork liver and tossed it into the pan. He wanted to test how small a portion of stir-fried pork liver would be recognized by the panel.

A moment later, a piece of stir-fried pork liver, barely the size of a fingernail, was finished. A smile appeared on Chen Fei's face as another bit of insight regarding the Blood-Qi Pill emerged in his mind.

Chen Fei looked at the remaining pork liver; hundreds of practice sessions would be more than enough!

Full of motivation, Chen Fei threw himself into the process of stir-frying the pork liver with great enthusiasm, completely losing track of time.

An hour later, all the pork liver had been cooked. Chen Fei was also feeling a bit sick of it; after all, it was all stir-fried pork liver, and his cooking skills were quite mediocre.

But these were secondary matters. The most important thing was that the panel now showed the Blood-Qi Pill had reached the "Proficient" level.

At the Proficient level, one could guarantee that every batch of Blood-Qi Pills would be successfully refined, with no risk of the furnace exploding or the pills being wasted.

It was just that the quality of the pills couldn't be perfectly guaranteed yet, but selling them shouldn't be a problem.

"Should I sell them to the medical clinic, or to other shops in the market?"

Chen Fei pondered for a moment. Compared to a servant, the requirements for a guard were undoubtedly much more relaxed. They wouldn't demand that all extra income be turned over to the clinic; if such a rule existed, the guards would likely all quit.

However, if a guard possessed something particularly precious, it was best to sell it to the clinic, as the clinic wouldn't treat their guards unfairly. But something like a Blood-Qi Pill certainly didn't count as precious.

What Chen Fei hesitated about was whether showing off his alchemy skills would be too conspicuous.

"Sell it to the clinic!"

After thinking for only a moment, Chen Fei made his decision. It was just a mere Blood-Qi Pill, and showing a moderate amount of value was the only way to make the clinic pay a little more attention to him.

Currently, among the guards at the clinic, Chen Fei was completely on the fringes.

This world was dangerous, a fact Chen Fei had already experienced on Pingyin Mountain. If there were any dangerous missions in the future, the cannon fodder would definitely be sent first.

Being on the fringes made it very easy to become cannon fodder.

"I'll start by showing them entry-level Blood-Qi Pills, and after a while, I'll show them the Proficient level. That way, it won't be too exaggerated."

Having set his strategy, Chen Fei tidied up the area and hurried back to the clinic, finding Zeng Defang in the alchemy room.

"Just leave the pill formula on the table."

Zeng Defang looked up at Chen Fei, then lowered his head back to the medical book in his hands, assuming Chen Fei had returned to return the formula.

"Elder Zeng, I tried refining the Blood-Qi Pill over the past two days, and I succeeded."

Chen Fei placed the formula down and said with a smile.

"Hmm?"

Zeng Defang frowned, looking at Chen Fei with a hint of dissatisfaction. "I believe I told you a few days ago that the clinic will not provide you with medicinal herbs for free."

"Yes, I will pay for a set of Blood-Qi Pill herbs and refine them on the spot. I hope Elder Zeng can offer some guidance," Chen Fei said, cupping his hands.

"I don't have the time. Find someone else to guide you."

Zeng Defang curled his lip. This kid was simply inexplicable. He had only looked at the formula for two days and was already claiming he could refine Blood-Qi Pills. Who did he think he was?

And he wanted the old man to watch him refine? Did he think he was that idle?

Besides, this kind of tactic had been used years ago by people trying to get on their good side, only for them to prove utterly incompetent once they actually started refining.

Therefore, Zeng Defang had no intention of entertaining Chen Fei. Any pity he had felt earlier, thinking about how hard it was for Chen Fei to rise from a servant to a guard, had completely vanished.

"Elder Zeng, I have no reason to joke about such things, nor do I have any intention of playing games with you."

Seeing the expression on Zeng Defang's face, Chen Fei guessed what he was thinking and said sincerely, "During the refining process, if you see any mistakes in my technique, feel free to stop me at any time. Is that acceptable?"

Zeng Defang was a veteran of the Qingzheng Medical Clinic; if he gave his approval, no one else would question him. If Chen Fei wanted to establish a firm footing in the clinic and gain more resources, befriending Zeng Defang was a good path.

Moreover, Zeng Defang was known for being cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he was willing to mentor promising juniors; otherwise, Chen Fei wouldn't have bothered.

Zeng Defang looked at Chen Fei, and seeing his serious expression, his heart softened a little.

"Fine, you can refine it once. I'd like to see exactly what level you're at."

"Thank you, Elder Zeng!"

A smile appeared on Chen Fei's face. He took a set of Blood-Qi Pill herbs from the pack on his back and sat down in front of an alchemy furnace.

Chen Fei cleaned the furnace and lit the fire with slightly clumsy movements, then added the herbs.

Zeng Defang frowned. Chen Fei's technique was too unrefined; he didn't look like someone who knew how to refine pills at all. But considering he had only received the formula two days ago, it was somewhat understandable. At least the basic steps were correct.

The initial steps were clumsy, but Chen Fei remained calm.

The Proficient-level Blood-Qi Pill was equivalent to an alchemist with several years of experience. From the moment the herbs were placed into the furnace, everything entered Chen Fei's rhythm.

Every change within the furnace was within Chen Fei's anticipation and control.

There were only a few types of herbs for the Blood-Qi Pill, so there weren't many changes in their medicinal properties. Mastering these changes meant mastering the outcome of every batch.

However, Chen Fei couldn't show Proficient-level skills right now—that would be too much. So, when certain changes occurred in the furnace, he deliberately didn't adjust in time.

This would affect the quality of the pill, but it wouldn't cause the furnace to explode; it was a minor, tolerable mistake.

Zeng Defang watched Chen Fei, moving from initial skepticism to slight surprise, and now, he was even a bit stunned.

There were still many flaws in Chen Fei's refining process. If these flaws appeared in a veteran alchemist, they would be singled out for criticism and correction.

But for a newcomer who had only been exposed to the formula for a few days, it was completely normal. In Zeng Defang's eyes, Chen Fei's performance was already quite astonishing.

A quarter of an hour later, as the lid of the furnace was opened, a scent of medicine wafted through the alchemy room.

Zeng Defang couldn't help but step forward, looking at the Blood-Qi Pill Chen Fei handed over.

The pill wasn't perfectly round, and there was a hint of unrefined herb scent mixed in, but none of that changed the fact that it was a Blood-Qi Pill.

Zeng Defang looked up at Chen Fei seriously. The first thought that popped into his mind was that Chen Fei must have refined Blood-Qi Pills before. But immediately, he dismissed the idea.

A servant—how could he have refined them before?

So, did this Chen Fei really have an extraordinary talent for alchemy?